What To Consider Before You Start Wedding Planning
There’s a distinct change that happens in the moment when the newly engaged bubble pops. Wedding planning instincts kick in and you’ll likely feel one of two ways; a surge of excitement ready to start researching, or a wave of panic and overwhelm in not knowing where to start. Either way, there are a few things you really should consider before you dive into the wedding planning process.
It’s very easy to let your excitement run away with you and start mentally making plans and sifting through your options, but hold your horses for just a moment!
Talk it through
Before you even think about contacting suppliers and making bookings, it’s important to sit down and have a conversation with your partner about what each of you want for your wedding day. You may have totally different ideas and expectations; one of you wanting a big-budget traditional wedding day with as many guests as you can cram in, the other instead hoping for a smaller, intimate day with a chilled, party vibe.
You can also lay down your boundaries during this time too; what do you expect from each other, how you will handle family and friend involvement and any other important topics. Make it a fun experience for you to talk about, set aside an evening with a bottle of wine and get all of those ideas out in the open. Your wedding planning process is going to feel a lot less stressful when you’re both on the same page.
How many guests?
Arguably one of the most difficult parts about wedding planning - the guest list. Who do you want to invite? Who do you feel obligated to invite? Who can you afford to invite?! Thinking about these questions before starting the real work is key here. Almost every other decision you’ll make for your wedding day is based around how many guests you have coming. It impacts your venue, food, stationary costs and so much more.
I suggest making a list of everyone you can think of that you may want to invite, and then rank them in terms of priority - need to haves, want to haves, would be nice to haves and if you’re feeling extra brutal, the obligatory invitees too. It’s a really tough task but get this out of the way now, and you’ll know exactly where you stand during the rest of your planning.
Here in the UK, we’re very good at doing the classic British thing of not discussing money unless absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, this is one of those times. It astounds me how many couples go through their wedding process with no budget, just a rough idea of numbers and keeping their fingers crossed that they stay below the danger zone. Your budget affects every single decision regarding your wedding, right from how many guests you can afford to invite to whether you can add in the special touches to your day that make it memorable.
Before you start thinking about the specifics of your wedding, set a budget (and an emergency buffer!). Make it realistic to what you can afford, and if you’re not there yet set up an achievable savings plan to help you get there. You will eliminate the unaffordable options from the off and you can focus your time and energy into sourcing suppliers that are right for you.
This might feel like a lot of admin before getting down to the fun stuff, but I promise you, you’ll thank yourself for doing it later. If you are just setting off on your wedding planning journey, enjoy it! It is truly one of the most exciting chapters in life. Soak in as much inspiration as your brain can handle, and make sure you create a day that truly feels like it was made for the two of you.
Article by: Abby, Wedding Planner | Owner of Elegance Unlimited